University of New South Wales (Australia)

Founded in 1949, UNSW is a leading Australian research and teaching university with more than 60,000 students and a strong global reputation for academic excellence, innovation and social impact. Headquartered in Sydney, the University has campuses in Kensington, Paddington, CBD, and Canberra, and is a founding member of the Group of Eight coalition of Australia’s top research universities.

UNSWs profound dedication to societal contribution has been a cornerstone of its institutional identity since its inception. The University has consistently positioned engagement as fundamental to its core values and mission, ensuring that its ethos as a public-minded institution manifests across education, research and community partnerships.

Throughout its distinguished 75-year history, UNSW has generated transformative societal impact through numerous innovations, including pioneering advancements in solar photovoltaics technology, strategies for infectious disease elimination, restoration of endangered species and habitats, conversion of waste materials into value-added products, developments in human rights and international refugee law, and initiatives improving access to justice and informing social and economic policy.

The inaugural UNSW Societal Impact Framework (SIF) articulates the institution’s strategic approach to addressing contemporary challenges through four core Impact Focus Areas, positioning the University as a leading catalyst for positive societal transformation both locally and globally.

Central to SIF is a foundational commitment to embedding Indigenous peoples’ ways of knowing, being and doing across all impact domains, demonstrating leadership in advancing Indigenous rights, aspirations, self-governance, education, and community-led outcomes. Indigenous knowledges provide invaluable holistic perspectives on environmental resilience, health, community wellbeing, and numerous other domains, including insights that have the potential to revolutionise approaches, enhance innovation, and drive societal advancement.

SIF further incorporates cross-cutting themes of Inclusion, Integrity, and Social Justice that permeate all Impact Focus Areas, reflecting UNSW’s whole-of-university approach to societal engagement and impact.

Indigenous Community Partnerships
UNSW maintains enduring partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through initiatives like the Nura Gili Centre for Indigenous Programs and Yuwaya Ngarra-li partnership with the Dharriwaa Elders group in Walgett. These relationships facilitate educational pathways, preserve cultural heritage, and drive research that directly addresses the priorities identified by Indigenous communities, embodying respectful engagement and reciprocal knowledge exchange.

Global Development Impact
UNSW collaborates with international partners to address sustainable development challenges. Projects span water security in the Pacific, healthcare innovations in Sub-Saharan Africa, and climate resilience initiatives in Southeast Asia, demonstrating the university’s commitment to global citizenship and transnational impact.

Community-Engaged Learning
UNSW’s curriculum increasingly incorporates community-engaged learning experiences, allowing students to apply theoretical knowledge to authentic contexts while serving community needs. These initiatives develop graduates’ professional capabilities while fostering their commitment to ethical practice and social responsibility.

The Medical Students’ Aid Project exemplifies this approach through its student-led humanitarian framework, where final-year medical students redistribute essential equipment to healthcare facilities in developing regions during international placements while conducting educational initiatives that enhance awareness of global health challenges.

Similarly, the ChallENG Program and Assistive Technology Hub demonstrates UNSW’s commitment to community-engaged learning by connecting engineering students with individuals experiencing disability-related barriers to develop customized assistive technologies, thereby advancing inclusive design principles while addressing authentic accessibility challenges within complex healthcare and technological environments.

Access to justice for local communities

The Kingsford Legal Centre (KLC), established in 1981, is a community legal centre providing free legal services to clients in the Randwick and Botany Bay local government areas, near UNSW’s main campus. KLC works for a fair, just, and equal legal system and society, where lawyers are educated to be ethical and understand the needs and impact of the law on community members experiencing inequity and injustice. KLC has provided clinical legal education to around 6000 UNSW Faculty of Law & Justice students.

Another great initiative is the UNSW Tax & Business Advisory Clinic which provides pro bono financial guidance to vulnerable individuals and enterprises through strategic community partnerships across NSW. This initiative functions as a work-integrated learning environment developing students’ professional capabilities while addressing immediate client needs through cross-referral networks. Beyond service provision, the Clinic maintains a research agenda examining systemic financial inequities, thereby advancing UNSW’s institutional commitment to addressing structural injustices through specialized expertise within the National Tax Clinic program framework.